Numb feet and legs during meditation

[jbmmaster]

Everytime I meditate (cross legged) my feet and legs get all numb 30 minutes in. I am new to meditation and i was wondering if this is a common thing for a person to go through when they begin meditating? and if this is what can i do to help get rid of this problem?

Thank you

[QuaiJohnCain]

Yes. Bare with it, it goes away eventually.

Originally posted by jbmmaster
Everytime I meditate (cross legged) my feet and legs get all numb 30 minutes in. I am new to meditation and i was wondering if this is a common thing for a person to go through when they begin meditating? and if this is what can i do to help get rid of this problem?

Thank you

[backbreaker]

I've found that when I practce qigong consistently over several weeks I don't lose my circulation as easy. When I sleep I will be able to put my arm underneath the pillow for extra support and sleep on my arm the whole night without my arm going numb. If however , I don't practice consistently for a few weeks and I try sleeping on my arm I will wake up with a very numb arm with bad pins and needles . This must be due to the decrease in the flow of qi and blood from not training. When you train consistently you can feel the flow of blood pulsating through you , as well as qi sensations which make you feel really good and vitalised. 30 minutes of meditation is a really good start especially if you can basically keep your mind focused and empty the whole time

[backbreaker]

Also try patting , or lightly slapping along your meridians , like the arms and legs and body( front, back , and sides ) after the practice

[looking_up]

Excellent advice, backbreaker!

[jbmmaster]

backbreaker: Thanks for the advice I find that very helpful.

QuaiJohnCain: Thanks for your encouragment I will stick to it.

[l@zylee]

I sympathise with you jbmmaster, I have been meditating for getting on a year now and i just can't do it for long periods crossed legged, I have to sit on a hard chair or something. I have tried bearing with it but if I do persist all I can think about are the pins and needles in my legs so my meditating goes out the window. Anyway I will try the above suggestions.

Lee

[denali]

I don't specifically train this type of meditation myself, but my sifu has taught me some about it.

Quai is right, it will go away.. but don't stop when you get this sensation. Ignore it. Let it go numb, who cares. It won't hurt you. There is some blockage that the energy must break through. If you keep stopping everytime it happens, you will never get past it, and you will have to do it the lazy way and use a chair..

[l@zylee]

Let it go numb, who cares. It won't hurt you. There is some blockage that the energy must break through

Is that right? It just seems to me that if you get pins and needles then something isn't right. so you should stop. If you wake up in the night and you have been lying on your arm and have made it go numb you wouldn't just go back to sleep without moving it, right? Is it not the same thing?

[jbmmaster]

Yeah I Know what you mean l@zylee, you can lose a body part that way due to the lack of blood in that area.

Is the fact that my circulation gets cut off while i sit cross legged is becuase my legs aren't flexible enough? Maybe I should take up yoga, those people look like pretzels and they can easily get into a full lotus.

[denali]

Trust me, your legs aren't going to fall off in an hour. There is nothing to worry about here. If you are feeling sharp pain, this is a different story...But as for the pins and needles feeling, this is quite a common thing when beginning this type of training.
If you don't try to get past that point and overcome it, well, simply put.. you will likely never progress past your current level.

I would advise that you ask your teacher about this as well, as your symptoms may be more specific.. and an experienced teacher can help you much more than any forum, article, or book can.